Economic Development and Social Media – Going Hand in Hand

Recently, JenRus Freelance added a new division to our business. In addition to our Internet Marketing duties, we added a Rural Life Marketing Division. Upon first glance, you might think that Rural Marketing and Internet Marketing really aren’t related to each other. But as one recent Yahoo! article and Mashable article in which JenRus Freelance’s client, Republic County Economic Development, was featured will tell you – many cities are now using social media to promote their economic development duties.

Here are some ways that Internet Marketing can be used in Economic Development:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search Engine Optimization benefits towns and cities much like it benefits businesses. Having good website SEO helps people find your county over other counties. SEO could be really beneficial if a county has something unique like the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, if a city has a industrial building for sale which they want to promote, or if a area is in a highly competitive metropolitan area.

Social Media Marketing (SMM) – It is becoming increasingly popular for cities to take advantage of social networks like Facebook to reach out to alumni and current residents. Social media can help promote a positive view of a county, assist in public relations, and help fill needed employment positions. YouTube shows viewers aspects of a community that words just can not accurately translate. Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media are also used.

Websites – The tride-and-true website has not completely gone out of style. A well-done, search engine optimized website is still a great way for people to learn about a community. Coupled with social media, your community promotion can be more effective.